Erik is a baseball fan who has been attending baseball games and snagging baseballs regularly since 2008.

Results tagged ‘ glove trick ’

With the Pirates hitting the road for San Diego, I thought about flying along with them to snag my one thousandth baseball at a stadium I’d never visited before. I decided against it, since it’d be cheaper to do a couple day trips to Baltimore on Monday and Cleveland on Tuesday. And so, I hit the road for Baltimore.I never fared well at Camden Yards. Prior to today my ballpark high was six balls in one game.

My plan for today was to go and search the Riverwalk weeds/tall grass for baseballs. If I found one, my streak in tact, I would enter the stadium and try and get a few more baseballs, regardless of if there was batting practice or not.

There were a good number of balls that left the stadium the previous two days, and I had not yet searched outside to see if any got caught up in the grass.

It was a Saturday game at PNC Park – but it was also a Skyblast (Fireworks + George Thorogood concert), so there would be a sellout crowd on hand today.

My goal was to snag seven balls to give me 400 on the season.

I was second in line at the gate and was the first one into the bleachers. There wasn’t anything going on in the cage, but a few Pirates must’ve taken some early swings because I found two balls laying in the front row here:I then made my way over to foul territory as a few of the Pirates position players were warming up. New Pirates catcher Chris Synder threw me his ball as he walked off the field for ball #3.STATISTICS:Game: 10 balls (6 hit, 1 thrown, 1 device, 2 found)Season: 403 balls (211 hit, 88 thrown, 51 device, 53 found) Games: 61 gamesAverage: 6.61 balls per game2010 Game Balls: 5Career: 981 ballsStreak: 157 consecutive games attended with at least 1 ball snagged.Attendance: 38,147

Today was Andrew McCutchen bobblehead night, so I was in for a bit more of a crowded BP than the previous few days.

After entering the bleachers first, only to find two fans already there (with special vip guest passes), I would eventually catch an Andy LaRoche home run on the fly in the second row here:I would only get one other ball during the Pirates BP, and it was a ground rule double off the bat of Pirates future star Pedro Alvarez. STATISTICS:Game: 6 balls (2 hit, 3 device, 1 found)Season: 393 balls (205 hit, 87 thrown, 50 device, 51 found) *fixed totals after checking mygameballs.comGames: 60 gamesAverage: 6.55 balls per game2010 Game Balls: 5Career: 971 ballsStreak: 156 consecutive games attended with at least 1 ball snagged.Attendance: 30,711

The slumping Colorado Rockies were in town for the first game of a four game series.

They weren’t the only ones slumping.

I managed only one ball for the entire Pirates batting practice, thrown to me by Evan Meek. Evan, if you’re reading this – you’re the man.I had plenty of opportunities, but the ball just wasn’t bouncing my way today.

That would change when the Rockies came out.

Fellow BHL member Zac Weiss alerted me to a ball at the base of the wall, which I glove tricked here:

The day started out with me swinging by PNC Park.I looked in the Left Field gate at 10:30 am and didn’t see any signs of cages or screens. There would be no batting practice – understandable, since last night’s game didn’t end until around 11:15 PM.

With chief competitor Nick Pelescak out of action for the next two weeks, and my favorite BP team, the Cincinnati Reds in town, I was hoping I would have a big day.

I would – setting a personal 2010 high for balls snagged.

The day would get off to a great start. When I ran in, I spotted a ball in the front row.

Before I could grab it, Andy LaRoche hit a home run into the front row. I tried to make the basket catch leaning forward over two rows, but just missed it. My glove killed the balls’ momentum and I just needed to pick it up in the front row for ball #1. Seconds later, I grabbed that easter egg for ball #2 in this area:Sweet spots: (1 was given away)STATISTICS:Game: 13 balls (9 hit, 2 thrown, 1 device, 1 found)Season: 364 balls (187 hit, 80 thrown, 43 device, 45 found)Games: 56 gamesAverage: 6.50 balls per game2010 Game Balls: 5Career: 942 ballsStreak: 152 consecutive games attended with at least 1 ball snagged.Attendance: 15,172

After getting a favorable report from Nick Pelescak about Wednesday’s batting practice, I decided to make a third trip to Cleveland. The Indians decided to open the entire outfield rather than just the right field seats on Wednesday, and they did the same thing today.

I began the day in left field and got ball #1 from Shelley Duncan on the left field wall.STATISTICS:Game: 4 balls (1 hit, 2 thrown, 1 device)Season: 351 balls (178 hit, 78 thrown, 42 device, 44 found)Games: 55 gamesAverage: 6.38 bal
ls per game2010 Game Balls: 5Career: 929 ballsStreak: 151 consecutive games attended with at least 1 ball snagged.Attendance: 34,455

I didn’t feel like going through another toilsome batting practice in Cleveland, and storms were in the forecast there, so I drove down to Washington DC.

Two other ballhawks were in attendance at this game – Ian Weir from Pittsburgh, and Alex from New York City.

When the gates opened, the Nationals were just beginning to hit, so there weren’t any easter eggs.

I caught ball #1 on the fly off the bat of Wil Nieves. It was a home run that was caught in this area:During the second group, I won a scrum for a Ryan Zimmerman home run ball that landed two rows in front of me in this area:

That would be all I would get during the Nationals batting practice. Argh. Did I make the wrong choice by coming to DC?

The Braves first group included Jason HeywardYou’re not allowed to go get those balls, as one kid began climbing over the rail, before a security guard angrily yelled at him. I motioned with my glove and string as if to say, “Is it ok if I throw this out there.” The security guard made the non-verbal signal, “Oh yeah, go ahead.”

I flipped the kid a decoy ball and then threw my glove out and nudged ball #8 close enough to the glass so that I could simply reach other and grab it. It took one fling of the glove.

I was about ready to leave the red seats to go check the left field bullpen when yet another home run landed in the gap in front of the red seats.

I glove tricked that ball for ball #9.

Batting practice ended soon after, and I was stuck on 9 balls – just short of double digits.

I really wanted to hit the road, but there were three balls laying in
the bullpen.

After standing and talking with Alex for about 20 minutes, Eddie Perez finally came out to the bullpen. He collected the three balls, and I asked him for a ball in Spanish. He ignored me. I continued in Spanish to say, “There’s also one in the flowers over there near the wall.”Eddie went over and got it and tossed it up to me. Ball #10.

It still had dirt on it. Although, for some reason my camera didn’t focus that well.After yesterday’s tough day, I was pretty happy I chose to come to DC. I then hit the road for home.

Its Sunday night and I’m preparing for my trip to Cleveland to catch Alex Rodriguez’s 600th home run. I’m pressed for time, so let’s get to it.

It was another ridiculously hot day, as the east coast sweated out another day of this heat wave.Upon entering the stadium, I found ball #1 in the seats near the left field foul pole in foul territory.STATISTICS:Game: 9 balls (5 hit, 1 thrown, 2 device, 1 found)Season: 331 balls (172 hit, 73 thrown, 33 device, 44 found)Games: 51 gamesAverage: 6.49 balls per game2010 Game Balls: 5Career: 909 ballsStreak: 147 consecutive games attended with at least 1 ball snagged.Attendance: 36,967

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